


hold on to me as we go

by Lysippe



Series: The Worst Witch 2018 Winter Fluff-A-Thon [26]
Category: The Worst Witch (TV 2017), The Worst Witch - All Media Types
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-10-01 11:40:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17243585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lysippe/pseuds/Lysippe
Summary: Pippa loved skiing. She loved the feel of fresh-fallen snow crunching under her boots, of her fingertips prickling with cold even under heavy gloves, of going down a hill so fast it felt like flying.Hecate, who detested the cold and the snow any all other things pertaining to winter, did not.And so, when Pippa suggested it, even as a quick, passing thought, Hecate’s objection had been swift and vehement.But Pippa had begged, and wheedled, and promised only a few hours, and I’ll make it up to you, and eventually, Hecate had given in.





	hold on to me as we go

**Author's Note:**

> So yeah, I realized I managed to skip a day somewhere and never posted this one, so here's the fic for the "skiing" prompt, a bit out of order.

Pippa loved skiing. She loved the feel of fresh-fallen snow crunching under her boots, of her fingertips prickling with cold even under heavy gloves, of going down a hill so fast it felt like flying. 

Hecate, who detested the cold and the snow any all other things pertaining to winter, did not.

And so, when Pippa suggested it, even as a quick, passing thought, Hecate’s objection had been swift and vehement.

But Pippa had begged, and wheedled, and promised  _ only a few hours, and I’ll make it up to you _ , and eventually, Hecate had given in.

Now, staring helplessly at the skis attached on her feet, clunky and impossible to move in with any grace or dignity, she couldn’t help thinking about what a horrible mistake that had been. That no amount of assistance in gathering winter-exclusive potions ingredients could possibly make this worthwhile.

And Pippa, who had graciously offered to go down the bunny slopes with Hecate until she found her footing, was only making it worse. 

Growing up, Pippa’s parents had taken her skiing over every Christmas break. They were a well-to-do witching family -- though not in the way Hecate’s had been, with a name built on rigid adherence to discipline and a devotion to the Craft that bordered on the fanatical -- and could easily afford the cozy cabin in the Alps that they rented each year. Pippa had always claimed, after every break, that she didn’t even enjoy herself and just spent all her time missing Hecate. But Pippa was a terrible liar, and Hecate never missed the excited glint in her eye as she all-too-casually mentioned that she had managed to finally go down the next-most-advanced slope that winter.

Still, Hecate had always appreciated the sentiment. 

Because the thing about Pippa, was that her patience and generosity of spirit were, in fact, genuine. Completely and unquestionably. No matter how vehemently Pippa denied it, it had most likely been the reason she had approached Hecate all those years ago. The silent, solitary girl in the library could not possibly have been of much interest to the most popular witch in their year otherwise. And it had shocked Hecate, far beyond what was reasonable or fair to learn that Pippa was every bit as clever as she was, every bit as curious, and almost as devoted to her studies. And far more devoted to her friends.

And she knew it was churlish of her, but the complete genuineness with which Pippa insisted that she didn’t mind teaching her, was driving her quite up the wall.

Hecate had never been particularly good at being bad at things. Especially not things that Pippa was good at. That same shortcoming had led her to a lifelong, simmering hatred of chanting. And, apparently, of skiing.

But Pippa, patient and smiling, just took Hecate’s elbow gingerly in one gloved hand, and said, “You can lean on me, Hiccup. I won’t let you fall.”

The warmth of her words, of her smile, warred with the irritation at the back of Hecate's mind. A dozen different spells sparked at her fingertips. Balance spells to ensure she stayed upright. Warming spells to dull the aching cold in her extremities. Spells for speed and agility that Hecate would normally never need to even consider using on herself. Except that she was considering all of them now. But Pippa would know, would sense Hecate’s magic as she always could.

So instead, she grudgingly allowed Pippa to lead her, with the tiniest shuffle-steps imaginable, to the ski lift. 

“Hiccup,” Pippa said, earnestly, after ensuring that Hecate had managed to get herself more-or-less situated in the ski lift, “if you really hate it, we can do something else.”

Hecate felt the same twinge of guilt she always felt when she unintentionally ruined Pippa’s fun. 

“I promised you a few hours.” Hecate could hear the stubbornness in her own voice, the clear assertion that she would be toughing it out, no matter how much she hated it.  And if Hecate heard it, that meant Pippa definitely did, too.

Pippa was about to say something, likely something well-intentioned and meant to make Hecate feel better about the whole scenario, and Hecate was deeply grateful that the ski lift chose that moment to reach the top, allowing them to tip of the seat and back into a standing position. She even managed it without stumbling too badly.

While Pippa reiterated the basics of skiing without falling or crashing into a tree, Hecate eyed the slope dubiously, still sorely unconvinced about the merits of the activity. Nevertheless, she followed Pippa’s instructions to the letter. Or at least, as best she could. And though she did wobble quite precariously a few times, Hecate made it down the hill in what she thought was reasonable time, and not at all covered in snow.

“So, what did you think?” Pippa, who had reached the bottom first, had her lips pursed, a nervous, hopeful look in her eyes.

“It was…” Hecate paused, more to draw out the suspense than anything else, because she knew exactly how batty it would drive Pippa. “Not terrible. I would be willing to try it again before making a final judgment.”

In truth, while Hecate had hated it less than expected, another few hours of skiing was not something in which she was in any way interested. But requests for indulgence had always been a rarity between herself and Pippa, and she rather enjoyed the way Pippa’s eyes lit up at her affirmation.

“Wonderful!” Pippa exclaimed, taking Hecate by the elbow once more and leading her back to the ski lift. “I’m sure you’ll take to it like a fish to water, once you find your footing.”

Hecate doubted that very much. The ground still felt unstable beneath her feet, and she still felt as though she was going to unbalance and topple with every other step. But she had promised Pippa an afternoon of doing something she loved, of doing something she had chosen to share with Hecate, and this was something she loved Pippa enough to deliver on.

**Author's Note:**

> Join me on Tumblr @ thebestdressedrebelinhistory


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